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Silchester Bakery Indigo Bakes named the best in Hampshire by the National Bakery Awards




A Silchester bakery that started in a shed eight years ago has been named the best in Hampshire by the National Bakery Awards.

Indigo Bakes, located at Ash Park Business Centre, is now in the running for the South East England regional award and the national overall prize.

Married couple Patrick and Amanda Bowden, who own and run the business, are hoping to achieve both these accolades at the awards evening in London on July 12.

Indigo Bakes began in a shed in 2015
Indigo Bakes began in a shed in 2015

Mr Bowden said he was proud that their bakery had been recognised as one of the best in the country.

He said: “It feels absolutely great. It feels like some sort of payback for all the hard work the team has done.”

Indigo Bakes began in 2015 when Mr Bowden was recovering at home from leg surgery. His wife decided to bake him a loaf of bread to cheer him up, but she was unaware that her husband had previously worked as a bakery manager for Asda for several years.

Patrick and Amanda Bowden
Patrick and Amanda Bowden

“It was like a brick”, Mr Bowden said. “So I hobbled into the kitchen the next day, and when she came home from work, ta-da, I had made a loaf of bread.

“It just went from there. We started baking in the kitchen and then we ended up baking from a shed in our garden.”

While working in the shed, Indigo Bakes received five national awards for both its bread and pastry.

After purchasing all the equipment from a bakery that was closing down in 2017, the Bowdens moved the operation into Ash Park and they haven’t looked back since.

The Silchester bakery has been named the best in Hampshire
The Silchester bakery has been named the best in Hampshire

Indigo Bakes sells a large variety of breads, pastries, sweet treats and savoury snacks, either wholesale or direct to consumers. All the goods they deliver are freshly baked that same day.

Mr Bowden said that the ethos of Indigo is based around all the ingredients and methods being either local, British or authentic.

“Everything is done in an old-fashioned way with a modern twist,” he said. “We use very old methods and use all-British wheat in our breads.

Owner and manager Patrick Bowden was proud that the bakery had been recognised as one of the best in the country
Owner and manager Patrick Bowden was proud that the bakery had been recognised as one of the best in the country

“Anything from our continental range, such as our baguettes or croissants, are made so they remind you of being on holiday.

“We use French flour to make our French baguettes to a French recipe. Our Italian breads are made using Italian flour using an Italian method.

“We try and use as much local produce as we can if possible as well.”

Indigo Bakes sell a variety of different breads, pastries, savoury and sweet treats
Indigo Bakes sell a variety of different breads, pastries, savoury and sweet treats

Speaking of Indigo’s continental range, the bakery’s croissants are in the running to be named the nation’s best in a competition organised by French food company Isigny Sainte-Mère. You can vote for Indigo’s croissant entry at http://rb.gy/1temr

Earlier this year, Indigo opened its first coffee shop and bakery in Basingstoke, offering customers the chance to eat their freshly-made baked goods in a pleasant café environment.

Mr Bowden said: “We never thought we would end up here. We always wanted a shop but we never thought we could get there.”

From starting in a garden shed to having an operation that includes a bakery, a coffee shop and a workforce of 19 employees, Indigo Bakes is a local business that is on the up.



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